Casablanca – Moroccan Artist, Nouamane Lahlou, has expressed his views about the popular protests in Hoceima, saying that the protestors “represent all Moroccans.”
Since the death of fishmonger, Mohcine Fikri, crushed in a garbage compactor last October, demonstrations in the northern city of Hoceima have only grown more frequent, attracting both support and criticism from Moroccans.
Unlike his fellow artists who, as per their habit, have turned a blind eye to this particular issue, Nouamane Lahlou decided to express his views about the protests in Hoceima on his Facebook fan page.
“One of the brothers on my page asked me about my opinion regarding the Rif protests and I said that the information is characterized by confusion,” Lahlou explained.
He added that he endorses the mass protests if the protestors are attempting to fight corruption and the marginalization of the Rif, and calling for officials to be held accountable. He noted: “the free Rifis represent all Moroccans in the fight against corruption.”
Lahlou further stated that if these protests had separatist aims or were funded by foreign parties, he would not support them.
Nouamane Lahlou has been quite vocal in connection to social and political issues. Last November, Lahlou cancelled a visit to Egypt after their Speaker of the House of Representatives received a delegation of the separatist Polisario Front.
“I call on all the Moroccan artists living in Egypt to take a stand, at least through condemnation, so that the Egyptian people would know the extent of the maltreatment they did to a nation that loves them,” he asserted in a Facebook post.
